Situations Where We Can Help You

The Cleveland Foundation will work with you to customize charitable solutions for your clients. We will work closely with you to tailor solutions for your clients that meet their charitable giving needs, offer the maximum charitable tax deductions, and provide many ways to incorporate charitable giving into their estate plans. Here are examples of situations your clients may be presented with, and how we can work with you for the best possible outcome.

Closely Held Business Owners

Scenario: Your client’s personal net worth is tied up in a closely held company, but he wants to find a way to support programs and activities in his community.

Solution: Donate a portion of his company’s stock to the Cleveland Foundation to establish a fund. The company, or current stockholders, may buy back the stock over time, which will add to the fund.

Benefit to Client: He earns an income tax deduction for the fair market value of the appreciated stock, while control of the company stays with known parties.

Liquidity Events

Scenario: Your client earns a large year-end bonus or commission, sells a business, receives an inheritance, etc. She likes the idea of making a long-term donation to organizations or institutions in her community, but wants to take her time in deciding which charities to benefit rather than rushing to make decisions before the end of the tax year.

Solution: Create a fund with the Cleveland Foundation.

Benefit to Client: She earns an immediate tax deduction, gains access to the Cleveland Foundation’s professional grantmaking staff for suggestions, and provides ongoing support for causes she cares about – on her own timetable.

Family Dynamics

Scenario: Your client has more than enough assets to provide amply for her children, who are financially successful in their own right. She doesn’t want to “spoil” her children or grandchildren.

Solution: Establish a fund at the Cleveland Foundation in the name of the family for a purpose that is meaningful to the family. If the adult children are local, a donor-advised fund may bring them together to recommend grants.

Benefit to the Client: They know their gift will sustain the family name and has the potential to pass on philanthropic values to successive generations.

Philanthropy in the Estate Planning Process

Scenario: Your client has gotten “stuck” in estate planning, and you suspect that it’s because thinking about the end of life is simply hard for her, as it is for many people.

Benefit to Client: Focusing on something future-oriented – like a legacy to the community – creates a sense of personal satisfaction that may be enough to create a sense of closure in the estate planning process.

Preserve Resources

Scenario: Your client has always been generous in her charitable giving, but, as she’s aged, she has grown more anxious about ensuring that her resources last long enough to provide for her needs.